Acute improvement in global and regional left ventricular systolic function after percutaneous heart valve implantation in patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The newly developed percutaneous heart valve (PHV) implantation technique decreases transaortic pressure gradient in patients with aortic stenosis. PHV replacement effects on left ventricular (LV) global and regional systolic function are currently unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight patients with severe aortic stenosis had 2D echocardiography at baseline and 24 hours after PHV implantation to evaluate changes in LV volume and LV ejection fraction. Regional function, ie, both peak systolic anterior and posterior wall tissue velocity, as well as strain and strain rate imaging, were measured by tissue Doppler imaging from a short-axis view. At 24 hours, a significant reduction in transaortic mean pressure gradient (from 46+/-15 to 8+/-3 mm Hg; P<0.0001) was accompanied by an increase in aortic valve area (from 0.59+/-0.11 to 1.69+/-0.11 cm2; P<0.0001). LV end-diastolic volume remained unchanged (102+/-36 to 101+/-12 mL; P=NS), whereas LV ejection fraction increased (48+/-18% to 57+/-12%; P<0.01). Improvement in posterior wall displacement (posterior wall tissue velocity increased from 2.2+/-0.5 to 4.4+/-1.0 cm/s(-1); P=0.0003) and deformation (strain rate imaging increased from 1.0+/-0.3 to 1.9+/-0.7 s(-1), P=0.009, and strain increased from 11+/-5% to 17+/-9%; P=0.02) were observed.

CONCLUSIONS: Immediately after PHV replacement, improvement of LV global and regional systolic function was evidenced by tissue Doppler imaging.